MADISON, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) -- The Marian University women's volleyball team was stifled by a hot-hitting Edgewood College squad in straight sets of a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament quarterfinal match-up at the Edgedome, Tuesday night, Nov. 4. The Eagles set a NACC tournament record with a .442 hitting percentage en route to the convincing win.

The Sabres (10-19) came out with a high-intensity approach, but were quickly overtaken by the Eagle attack. After keeping pace early on, the Eagles (21-12) went on a 6-0 run, gained a 15-7 lead and a head of steam. Error-free ball was the key for the Eagles as they finished the set 25-11 thanks to 14 kills and no errors, compared to nine kills and six errors.

Early runs continued to be an issue for the Sabres. In the second set, after Marian cut Edgewood's lead to one, the Eagles went on their second 6-0 run of the game to go up 12-6. Marian's defense was going all out, making point-saving dives, but the placement by the Edgewood attack was on point. Jordan Winkler and Elizabeth Evans led the the team on the day, having 13 and 10 kills, respectively, and played a key role in the Eagles taking the second set 25-11.

It was a slow start for the Sabres in the third set with the season on the line. Edgewood gained a late seven-point lead, 19-12, but the Sabres slowly chipped away. After cutting the lead to four points, Jordan Winkler finished the Sabres off to end their season.

Edgewood had 46 kills on the night, compared to 4 errors, having a hitting percentage as high as .552 in the second set. The overall performance was good for a NACC tournament record and fell just shy of Edgewood's all-time school record.

Sophomore Jessica Roberts led the team with 12 kills as the Sabres hit a respectable .139 as a team. Freshman Amber Baker had a match-best 29 assists, while junior Katrina Jansen recorded a match-high 15 digs.

Head Coach Kerri Huebel was proud of the team's accomplishments on the year, despite falling short.

"Finishing sixth was a huge accomplishment for us," Huebel said. "We made some changes for the better mid-year and I think it was proven with a strong finish. Making the conference tournament was huge success for us, and as much as we weren't successful tonight, I can't go away and say we didn't have a good year."

Kathryn Braunling, who had five kills and a block in her final collegiate match, is the lone senior to graduate. Huebel is excited with what the team was able to do this year and expects more success to come in years to follow with the young core of players that have been established this season.